Business

Met Gala Dresses to be Sold Online Day After

First it was "straight from the runway" and soon, it will be straight from the red carpet. Moda Operandi, an online luxury retailer that kickstarted its business by offering fashion goods for order within days — rather than months — of their runway debuts, is now extending that model to next week's Costume Institute Benefit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Moda'Operandi is the biggest sponsor of this spring's Costume Institute exhibition, "Punk: Chaos to Couture." It kicks off with a gala event— punk-themed, of course — on May 6. Last year's benefit attracted a long roster of leading designers and celebrities, including Marc Jacobs, Valentino Garavani, Beyonce Knowles, Scarlett Johansson and Kirsten Dunst. The retailer will be live-streaming red carpet arrivals on its website beginning at 7 p.m., which will simultaneously stream on the Met's website, Vogue.com and Samsung.com.

Moda'Operandi has partnered with several designers to make their dresses and accessories available for purchase the day after they're worn at the gala. The retailer expects to carry about 10 pieces (total) from Rodarte, Nina Ricci, Wes Gordon, Delpozo and Anthony Vacarello, among others, a spokesperson for the company said. The sale will run for one week.

Beyond the day-after sale, Moda'Operandi is also releasing a punk-themed capsule collection on May 2, which features more than 100 original and vintage items from designers including Balmain, Givenchy, Prabal Gurung, Dolce & Gabbana and Vivienne Westwood, ranging in price from $100 to $13,000.

This isn't the first time Moda has done a red carpet extension, Indre Rockefeller, director of ready-to-wear at Moda'Operandi, told Mashable in a phone interview last week. The site offered the $4,695 Prabal Gurung dress actress Jennifer Lawrence wore to the L.A. premiere of The Hunger Games, and a dress she wore, by the same designer, to the 2013 Critics' Choice Awards. Rockefeller says the gowns have attracted interest both domestically and internationally, particularly in areas that don't have access to retail environments that carry those designers.

"A lot of times brands get a ton of interest and customer inquiries after a red carpet event, and don't have the chance to sell [the look]," Rockefeller says of the red carpet initiatives. Rockefeller says she hopes to work with more designers at future events, acknowledging that the company's ability to offer red carpet looks is limited by the number of attendees wearing custom-made ensembles from individual designers.

"Punk: Chaos to Couture" is open to the public from May 9 through August 14 in the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Exhibition Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

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is a leading source for news, information and resources for the Connected Generation. Mashable reports on the importance of digital innovation and how it empowers and inspires people around the world. Mashable's record 42 million unique visitors worldwide and 21 million social media followers are one of the most influential and engaged online communities. Founded in 2005, Mashable is headquartered in New York City with an office in San Francisco.